In the manner of Giovanni Battista Ruoppolo (1629–1693) Pair of still lifes with fruit, vegetables, objects and bird, Oil on canvas, Italy, 17th century

In the manner of Giovanni Battista Ruoppolo (1629–1693) | Italy, 17th century
Pair of still lifes with fruits, vegetables, objects and birds
Oil on canvas
Unsigned
Dim. approx.: 57 x 88 cm.; Dim. approx total: 83 x 112 cm.

A pair of unsigned oil paintings on canvas depicting exuberant still life compositions, executed in the style of Giovanni Battista Ruoppolo (1629–1693), a 17th-century Neapolitan painter specializing in Baroque still life themes.
The works present scenes densely populated with ripe fruit, vegetables, flowers, containers, and a game bird, with an emphasis on the abundance and contrast of textures and brightness. The compositional distribution is marked by dynamic asymmetries and overlapping planes, with dramatic light and darkened backgrounds, characteristic of the Neapolitan naturalist school. The pictorial elements—open pomegranates, translucent grapes, figs, pumpkins, sloes, and an overturned jug—are treated with detailed tactile and chromatic illusionism.
The ensemble denotes the Baroque taste for visual theatricality, formal exuberance and symbolic allusions to the transience of life and fertility.
Paintings framed with voluminous, finely gilded woodcarvings, decorated with friezes of interlocking tulips and stylized plant elements, which enhance the compositions, illuminating and creating contrasts with the elements depicted.